|
3.20.2003
Christopher G. Arruda, 30; 'always wanted to help'
It was Christopher G. Arruda's dream to drive a truck.
Ever since Chris was a little boy, he had loved cars and trucks. He collected
model cars, hoarded stacks of car magazines and worked in the pit crew
for friends racing at Seekonk Speedway.
In the backyard of the house on Blackrock Road in Coventry where he lived
with his mother and grandmother, he kept a white Ford Ranger that he equipped
with big monster-truck tires. His "baby" was an old ugly brown
Pontiac that he got as a 16-year-old and only sold last year.
And about seven years ago, Chris got a job as a truck driver for D&N
Equipment, of Johnston. "That really made him happy," says his
mother, Patricia Arruda.
Keith Danna, of Coventry, met Chris at the old Bess Eaton doughnut shop
on Tiogue Avenue, where "car guys" used to hang out. Chris was
known for his "bumblebee car" -- a yellow-and-black Dodge Aspen.
"He's great with kids and dogs," Danna said. "He was just
a good guy. Not too many people don't know him. He's got more friends
than you can believe."
Chris, 30, was talkative and generous. He was strong, too. He once broke
his ankle getting out of his truck and kept walking, even showing up for
work the next day when others told him to take it easy.
"He'd see people broken down on the side of the road and he'd stop,"
Patricia Arruda said. "I told him, 'You're crazy in this day and
age to stop.' He'd say, 'Ma, don't worry about it.' He always wanted to
help."
Even on the night he died, Chris thought of others. Patricia Arruda said
she heard from people who were at The Station that her son made it out
of the club, but went back inside to help people escape.
Chris's other passion was music. His favorite was Pink Floyd, and he
also liked '80s rock bands. He was a regular at The Station and was friendly
with an AC/DC tribute band that played there.
"He had a sad side, too," Patricia Arruda said. "Besides
driving the truck, I don't think he really ever found the happiness he
wanted. He had gone through a bad time and was just starting to act like
himself."
-- Meaghan Wims
Sign
the Guest Book for Christopher G. Arruda
Share
your thoughts and condolences for all of those lost
|
